Listed Building record MDO12319 - The Chantry, 128 South Street, Bridport

The Chantry was probably constructed in the late 13th or early 14th century as a municipal building associated with a harbour and incorporating a cresset. It was converted into the house for the chantry priest of St Leonard in the later 14th century. In the late 16th century it was converted into house for family use and it was extensively renovated and altered in the 1870s. It was restored in 1987.

Hutchins refers to it as a prior's house, called Dungeness, probably for one of the chantry priests of St Leonard's Chapel, probably a chantry in St Mary's Church. <1>

A two storeyed building with attics, built of coursed rubble & roofed with stone slates. The building dates from 14th-15thc, and in some respects resembles the isolated tower-houses of semi-defensive character. Its original purpose is unknown. The windows are 18thc. <4>

Under the heading of ST. LEONARD'S CHAPEL - probably a chantry in ST MARY'S [PARISH] CHURCH, - HUTCHINS refers to a priors house, probably for one of the chantry priests, called DUNGENESS, standing near the entrance of SOUTH STREET on the west side.<3>

Description in T.1. <4> correct. The house is known as THE CHANTRY which is carved on the gate pillar and, according to local information and a sketch in the BRIDPORT MUSEUM, was formerly known as DUNGENESS. The exterior and interior have a definite ecclesiastical appearance. In use as a residence.

GP/JR/54/9/4 F/54/124/4 The Chantry formerly 14th-15th Cent Priest's House from E. <5>

The Chantry is currently (2010) managed by the Vivat Trust who let it out as holiday accommodation. In September 2010 the Chantry was opened to the public during the Heritage Open Days weekend. <8>

The Chantry is a compact, tower-like building with a two-storeyed porch and a double-pile attic. It is constructed of local limestones. Previously it has been likened to a semi-fortified tower house <3> <6>.

However, structural analysis of this building by Kirsty Rodwell in 1987 <7> has elucidated much of this building and identified four main phases.

Phase 1: The building was probably constructed in the late 13th or early 14th century as a municipal building associated with a harbour, then later converted into the house for the chantry priest of St Leonard. The earliest phase comprised a two-storeyed, nearly square building with a two-storeyed porch and probably a low-pitched parapeted roof, with a cresset mounted on the south wall. It had two apparently unheated rooms on each floor. It is clear from its surviving form that it was not a defensive structure and Rodwell suggests that, given its location at the southern end of the town, it was a municipal building connected to the harbour, perhaps used as a lookout and incorporating a light to guide shipping to the harbour. Its principal function was probably the collection of tolls.

Phase 2: In the later 14th century the building was converted into a priest’s house. The original porch was replaced and the building heightened by the addition of a series of attic rooms, incorporating an columbarium. A number of internal alterations were made to convert the building into a dwelling, with a hall, kitchen and parlour on the ground floor; a solar with garderobe and a chamber on the first floor, with an oratory in the first floor level of the porch; and a chamber and columbarium in the attic.

Phase 3: In the early 16th century a fireplace was replaced in one of the ground floor rooms and in the late 16th century, there were extensive internal alterations to convert the building into a family dwelling and a number of windows were altered and inserted. The ground floor room arrangements were altered and the pigeon holes in the columbarium were filled in. A number of wall paintings survive from this period.

Phase 4: In the 1870s there was extensive restoration and alteration of the building. The floor level was lowered, new stairs were inserted and new fireplaces added and the walls replastered or clad in wooden panelling.

The Chantry continued to be used as a dwelling until 1972. The building was then used by Bridport Museum. In 1986 it was leased by the Vivat Trust and converted into holiday accommodation. The building was restored in 1987. <7>

The Chantry was also formerly also known as 'Dungeness' (4) colfox.

<1> Hutchins, J, 1863, The History and Antiquities of the County of Dorset. Volume 2. 3rd edition, 21-22 (Monograph). SDO9443.

<2> Colfox, W, 1890, On the History of Bridport. Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Antiquarian Field Club, 125-6 (Article in serial). SWX1323.

<3> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments England, 1952, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume I (West), 48-9 (Monograph). SDO97.

<4> Swatridge, G C, Various, Field Investigators Comments GCS, F1 GCS 12-JUL-54 (Unpublished document). SWX1169.

<5> Swatridge, G C, Various, Field Investigators Comments GCS, F2 GCS 23-SEP-54 (Unpublished document). SWX1169.

<6> Newman, J, and Pevsner, N, 1972, The Buildings of England: Dorset, 111-2 (Monograph). SWX1290.

<7> Rodwell, K A, 1990, 'A Structural Analysis of the Chantry, Bridport, Dorset' Medieval Archaeology, 122-143 (Article in serial). SWX805.

<8> Hay, Kathryn, Recorder's comments, 18-OCT-2010 (Verbal communication). SDO19106.

<9> National Record of the Historic Environment, 450136 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Aug 30 2024 11:13AM